Kyle Mayers’ 73-run performance, followed by Mark Wood’s five-wicket haul, helped Lucknow Super Giants defeat Delhi Capitals by 50 runs here at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. Facing a tough 194-run goal, Prithvi Shaw batted aggressively with his skipper David Warner, with pacer Jaydev Unadkat allowing 17 runs in the second over.
Mark Wood ended the 41-run opening partnership by dismissing Shaw for 12 off 9 balls. Wood then dismissed Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck in the following ball, leaving Delhi at 41/2. Wood struck for the third time in a row, striking wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Khan for four runs, leaving DC at 46/3. Rilee Rossouw joined Warner at the crease, and the pair pushed their team’s total above 50 runs in 7.3 overs.
The 38-run stand between Warner and Rossouw was ended by leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who was caught by Kyle Mayers for 30 off 20 balls as Delhi lost their fourth wicket for 86. Rovman Powell subsequently joined his captain but was bowled leg-before-wicket for 1 by Bishnoi, who claimed his second wicket of the match. During 94, the Delhi Capitals lost half of their lineup.
Aman Hakim Khan, Delhi’s ‘Impact Player,’ walked out to bat and, along with Warner, lifted his team’s total past 100 runs in 14.1 overs. Captain Warner was the only one who showed some fight, scoring his half-century in 45 balls.
Aman failed to make an impression as he was removed for 4 by pacer Avesh Khan. Two balls later, the pacer struck again, this time claiming the prized scalp of captain Warner for 56 from 48 balls, leaving DC reeling at 113/7. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav formed a brief partnership, but it was too little, too late for the Delhi Capitals, who needed 55 runs to win the last over.
As Delhi lost their eighth wicket for 139, pacer Wood took his fourth wicket, dismissing Axar Patel for 16 off 11 balls. Wood went on to claim the season’s first five-wicket haul when he removed Chetan Sakariya for 4, and Delhi could only manage 143/9 in 20 overs, falling 50 runs short of the goal. Wood completed with a magnificent 5 for 14 in four overs.
Earlier in the day, after winning the toss and electing to bat, Delhi Capitals took the wicket of skipper KL Rahul for 8, who was bowled by left-arm bowler Chetan Sakariya. LSG’s first wicket fell in the fourth over with the score at 19.
Kyle Mayers and Deepak Hooda then joined forces for Lucknow, taking their team’s total above 50 runs in 7.1 overs. Mayers continued to attack the Delhi bowlers and reached his half-century in just 28 balls. Mayers and Hooda put on a 50-run second-wicket stand in just 27 balls.
The 79-run stand was finally broken when Kuldeep Yadav bowled Hooda for 17 off 18 balls, and LSG lost their second wicket for 98. Krunal Pandya joined Mayers and helped the club pass the 300-run mark in 11.2 overs. Axar Patel wiped away Mayers’ stumps in the next delivery, removing him for 73 off 38 balls, including seven sixes and two boundaries.
Marcus Stoinis then joined Krunal, but he was bowled for 12 by Khaleel Ahmed, who was caught behind by wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Khan. Nicholas Pooran came in for Stoinis and, together with Krunal, boosted the side’s total past 150 runs in 17 overs. Pooran was the more aggressive player, smashing big sixes and boundaries.
Pooran and Krunal’s 48-run partnership was finally broken by left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed. He removed Pooran for 36 off 21 balls, as LSG lost their fifth wicket for 165. Khaleel completed with statistics of 2/30 in four overs before being replaced by ‘Impact Player’ Aman Khan.
Ayush Badoni walked out to bat and went on to hit some massive sixes in Sakariya’s final over to push the team’s total above 180 runs. Sakariya dismissed Badoni on the match’s final ball for 18 from just 7 balls. Krishnappa Gowtham batted as an ‘Impact Player’ for Lucknow Super Giants, replacing Badoni, and went on to smash six in the final ball of the innings, taking the team’s total to 193/6 in 20 overs.
Lucknow Super Giants 193/6 in 20 overs (Kyle Mayers 73 (38), Nicholas Pooran 36(21), Khaleel Ahmed 2/30) vs Delhi Capitals 143/9 in 20 overs (David Warner 56 (48), Mark Wood 5/14).
